Guide For IELTS

How to Start IELTS Preparation

I am writing this post as a summarized set of guidelines to practice and prepare for the IELTS for those who don’t have clear direction from where to start. IELTS is nothing to be feared of. It is a test designed to judge your English skills. You are not expected to be perfect or exemplary in that, even the natives aren’t that good to score full marks. You just have to prove that you have adequate skills in listening and interpreting English, reading and understanding it, writing in it and conversing/communicating in it, and by adequate I mean average or above average. Below you will find step by step guide how to start perparaion for the IELTS.

Step 01 (Know about the IELTS test format)

First of all, you should know about this test, its rules, and its question types. Basically, IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is a test with 4 sections. 1. listening, 2. reading, 3. writing, and 4. speaking. Sections 1, 2, and 3 are taken in one day, and the whole duration is about 2 and a half to 3 hours (excluding the arrival and settling time, etc.). A speaking test is usually scheduled on a different day. All these sections carry 9, 9, 9 and 9 marks separately, and the final band/score is an average of these 4. Generally, a score above or equal to 7 is a good score.
To understand IELTS and question types, you should do

  • To understand the structure of IELTS, their marking criteria, their time and word limits, and what each band means, please visit the webpage named “IELTS Test Format, Timing, And Scoring.“
  • Do the IELTS test preparation online course by EDX (link is given below). It has all the tips and sample examples with answers by professional trainers. You must do it to understand all about IELTS. 
    Course name: IELTS Academic Test Preparation 
    Course link: https://www.edx.org/course/ielts-academic-test-preparation-0
  • Read the book “Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS.” This book contains all the tips and strategies to solve different question types.
  • Go through the official IELTS website (https://www.ielts.org/) and check the types of questions, date formats, and tips on techniques. Also check the band descriptors for writing and speaking.

Step 02 ( self-scrutiny)

IELTS preparation depends a lot on your current English skills. Do you have a firm grasp on grammar, composition, and sentence structure? Can you watch English movies without subtitles and understand the content? How is your written English? Some people have better verbal skills than others. That’s why before starting the preparation, please do a self-scrutiny to know where I stand; whether I need to learn English grammar or I already have a very good understanding of it, I just need to practice IELTS. A simple litmus test would be to attempt one of the tests from the Official Cambridge Books and see what you score in all of the sections except the speaking. If the overall score is 5.5 or above, you don’t need to join an academy. If below, then you need to do a lot of work on your English, and for that, consider joining an academy.

Step 03 (Practice, Practice, Practice)

Start doing practice after understanding the basics of IELTS. IELTS is a matter of practice only, and practice is the key to success. IELTS Practice Test books (1–16) are one of the best help materials for practice, prepared by IELTS Trainers and published by Cambridge University Press. Each book has four tests (each test has four modules: speaking, writing, listening, and reading). Start in the reverse order of Cambridge 16. Just solve Cambridge books. They are enough to practice. Do as much as you can. If you are taking computer-delivered IELTS, then you should take an online test just to know how it works. Other than that, your focus should be on Cambridge books. 
You can find them all from this link below:
https://careerbuilder.wtechhub.com/ielts-practice-books/

As much as possible, practice from Cambridge books. Develop your own style for every part. Some people prefer to skim or read the entire essay first and then attempt the questions, while others prefer to read the question and then find the answer in the essay. Once again, practice a lot to find what you are comfortable with. Pick up speaking questions from official books and practice answering them by recording yourself. You should know which is the most difficult part of the test for you and then focus on that more than any other section.

Instead of doing five tests in one day with no improvement, it’s better to focus on one section each day. Solve the test, mark the incorrect, try again with the same questions, and try to find out why you didn’t get the correct answer the first time, then move on to the next one! Your goal should be to improve yourself. Try to see at least one video of tips and tricks for each section on YouTube, especially of those sections in which you are losing marks or facing difficulties. For example, you can follow E2 IELTS, Fastrack IELTS, Manjita Osta, etc. on YouTube.

There are websites for IELTS mock tests available for practice. Use them for preparation and take online mock tests. You can find them from this link below:
https://careerbuilder.wtechhub.com/guide-for-required-tests/ielts/ielts_useful_courses_website_online_tests/

Step 04 (Additional Effort)

  • Other famous IELTS trainers’ pdf books and video lessons are also good for practice purposes.
  • For people who want to give the test in the far future, here is a bonus tip, start practicing now.
  • You can practice reading by reading magazines, newspaper articles, and published books and journals.
  • Be present in English in your classrooms and watch movies with English subtitles.
  • Use apps that assist in pointing out grammatical and vocabulary mistakes etc.
  • Youtube Chanel
  • For test preparation, students prefer using YouTube. I find the best YouTube channels (E2 IELTS, IELTS LIZ) where good authentic listening tests are uploaded regularly, including other IELTS section tips, etc. 
    1. E2 ielts yt for listening and reading (tips from here – go thru this first)
    2. Ielts by Liz yt for listening and writing
    3. Ielts by Liz blog for writing
    4. For writing, watch E2 IELTS writing playlist
    5. Write2top videos 
    6. For reading, watch Asad Yaqub videos (youtube)

 

Guideline and Tips for Listening Section

  • Listening is the easiest part, and it is usually very easy to score at least 8 in that. When you practice at home, use good quality headphones. Keep the test in front of you and attempt it in one go. Don’t go back if you miss a question, if you start thinking about the missed one, you’d probably miss 3, 4 others as well.
  •  Be very attentive during listening. Keep your mind on high alert all the time.
  •  Utilize the time they give you to read the questions beforehand. Believe me this is the best thing you can do in listening. When you read the questions beforehand, you have an idea of what you have to look for while listening.
  • Read the main question very clearly. I can’t stress it enough. Every time in the fill in the blanks section, you are asked to use no more than a fixed number of words (two or three mostly), but because many people don’t read the question and directly read the sentences with the blanks, even though they answer correctly, they are given no mark since it exceeds the word limit.
  • Referring to the above point, if an answer is longer than the allowed word limit, summarize its gist in the required number of words, this must be done very quickly since the recording being played is non-stop.
  • Remember you will have an extra 10 minutes to transfer the answers on the actual answer sheet, so don’t worry about the neatness of your answers on the question paper.
  • Practice as many tests as you can, but don’t do it on a single day. Doing regular practice for several consecutive days is better than practising a lot on only one day.
  • Never pause or rewind the video when practicing. Attempt in one go and calculate your score, notice what you did wrong and improve it the next time. I am sure you’ll be a pro in no time.
  • Learn from your mistakes. When you telly the answers, don’t only look for the correct answers, look for the wrong ones and see what you did wrong. Did you summarize the answer wrongly? Was your answer grammatically incorrect?
  • Listening tests generally follow a format. They start from easier sections and gradually become tougher. But even at the toughest stage, they are not very hard to solve, I repeat, it is easy to score very good marks in listening.

Guideline and Tips for Writing Section

The third section is about writing. It has two parts, namely part 1 and part 2. Part one carries half the marks than part 2, so put more effort in part 2. Both parts have a maximum allowed word limit, and +-10 words is allowed, but please don’t overwrite and NEVER write less. Stick to the point, leave no important details. Structure properly and make no grammatical mistakes.
In writing part one, you will be given a figure, map, table, chart or any pictorial representation. You will be asked to summarize it in around 150 words. Remember some key points: You are not required to give your personal opinion in this part. They are not judging your knowledge on the subject, but your ability to summarize the figure. Use the first paragraph to introduce the diagram. The question that you are given also contains a line that introduces the diagram, but it’s best not to use any words from that. Use the second paragraph to explain the facts and figures. Use the third one to highlight the interesting findings. Use the last one to conclude it. Use adverbs and adjectives as much as you can for example steep curve, dramatic increase, steady growth, and growing exponentially etc.

  • In writing part 2, be very creative. First find some free space to create a “Mind map”. A mind map is a pictorial representation of all the concepts you can think of, related to the given topic. It is a good exercise for attempting part
  • Write the topic in the centre and draw lines and make clouds at the end of those lines. Write the keywords of each concept in one bubble. If it is an argumentative statement on which you have to write (means having favour and against type of topic) then annotate the bubbles with plus and minus signs for differentiating between pros and cons. Please note that this mind map is for you and not for the examiner. So this should be on a rough sheet or back of the paper, and it is better to explicitly write rough work on that page. Do this at the beginning of attempting part 2, spend only 3-4 minutes on it. Refer back to it repeatedly during attempting part 2. Remember, this requires good brainstorming skills (and practice is they key). This part should ideally be of 5 paragraphs. 1st and last for introduction and conclusion respectively,2nd for pros (or points in favour), 3rd for cons (or points against) and 4th for your opinion. In conclusion, it is best to summarize paragraph 2,3 and 4 in three sentences and finish.

Bonus tip: There is TONS of material online and even at the end of many books, that shows sample attempts along with the comments of the reviewers and their scores. They not only show the best and good attempts, they also show the bad and worst attempts (bands equal to and below 5). Read all those to find the good and bad practices.

Bonus tip 2: If you know someone with good English (a teacher, colleague, class fellow, sibling), then ask them to evaluate your attempts and give their views on that.

Guideline and Tips for Speaking Section

The last section is speaking. As mentioned earlier, this can be scheduled on a separate day. The IELTS Speaking exam is probably the most intriguing part. Although your prior English speaking skills are quite advantageous, especially in terms of fluency and confidence, certain techniques and practice are equally important to score perfectly.

I have noticed that some candidates either underestimate it (leaving it on the last day and feeling stressed out), or overestimate it (memorizing some of the answers, predominantly part 1, and forcing the examiner to deduct marks).

Part1:

In the first part, the examiner will introduce himself/herself, then tell you that your test will be recorded for evaluation purposes, and then ask you to introduce yourself. The first part is about some general questions about you, such as your name, profession, description of your house, details about your city, means of transport used, etc. Now this is something that you can practice. Use a piece of paper and a pen (at home) and write an introduction that doesn’t take more than a minute. It should include your name, educational background, career background (if any), and present status (what are you currently doing and why are you taking IELTS). Don’t say explicitly that "I am giving IELTS because..."; say things like "currently I am looking for scholarship positions in MS in XYZ degree in ABC country, and I hope I’ll be able to land a good position in 2,3 months" or something like that. Practice it over and over at home until you get fluent in it. 
details, followed up by my interest. 
Try Tip: Instead of memorizing, go about your business naturally and rely on your own knowledge of the details.Memorized answers are often caught, or subject to error. Even with basic English, you'll make it through if you speak through your mind. With prior knowledge, your brain will process realistic ideas, allowing you to speak fluently in a bold manner. Memorized ideas have no flexibility, and therefore, you'll struggle to answer questions asking for more details. 
Tip: In Part 1, give straight answers. Don't try to oversmart the examiner. For example, a good length is around 3-5 sentences, depending on the questions.

Part 2:
The Questionnaire Part 1, as I call it, is the most important part of the exam. You're handed a paper with a question along with some guidelines mentioned. You have 1 minute to think it through (you can even make notes using the pencil provided), and 2 minutes to speak. 
The question for me was: Describe Your Favorite Famous Personality! 
I mentioned my favorite actor, Al Pacino, and used some complex words such as Pragmatism, Repertoire, Rationalism, Inculcate 
Tip: This part is purely subjective, which means it totally depends upon your knowledge. Some candidates try to apply complex vocabulary (fancy words) or some idioms to make themselves stand out. Personally, I would only recommend such a feature if you have a strong command of your English, along with prior practice speaking fluently in public. If you feel that you are not ready, then it is totally fine to skip it and stick to the basic words. 
Tip: In the second part, don't focus too much on the bullet points given. Try to focus more on the general topic of the question. If you focus on individual points, you will run out of ideas very soon and you will finish within 1 minute.

Part 3:
The part is complex and does require thinking through the question. I would describe it as the continuation of the previous section. The questions are less subjective, with Yes or No answers; the answers require a brief explanation. 
In my case, the questions were related to listing some extra benefits of being famous, problems that famous people face, and problems faced by their friends and families. 
Tip: These questions require some thinking, so be careful to tackle them. In this part, the candidate is also being judged on their analytical skills. Take a brief pause when hearing the question and give a smart answer to make yourself stand out (for an 8+ score). Candidates often stumble and get themselves confused, unable to accumulate relevant thoughts, enforcing both illogical answers and verbal mistakes (THEY WANT YOU TO DO THAT). 
The 3rd part should be answered in a more general, descriptive, and detailed way. Don't give short answers . The ideal length can vary from 7–12 sentences.

 

Tips for Dressing and Body Language:

  1. For this, the first thing is to dress up accordingly. Look for personal hygiene.
  2. Be confident and assertive, and let the examiner know you are truly in command. Sit upright and give a formal smile to the examiner. Take the examiner as your friend because relaxing nerves is the most important and foremost thing in IELTS speaking. Use a smiling gesture as much as possible.
  3. Avoid twitching or moving your head consistently. Maintain firm but friendly eye contact.
  4. Try to communicate with the examiner confidently, maintain eye contact, and don’t do a lot of umm’s and err’s. Use your hands to emphasize important points. Don't say things like "this is good plus band" or "yes and no," but rather things like "I agree on this" or "I am for it" or "In my opinion, this is not right," etc., that clearly highlight what you think about the matter.Don't be afraid to say, "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" or "Come again?" or "pardon?"Try to smile once in a while and behave pleasantly. It leaves a good impression.

 

Tips for Speaking:

  1. Be natural and attentive! There is no harm in requesting the examiner to ask the question again.
  2. Don't use complex grammar; only use functional grammar like what is required depending on the situation.
  3. Never repeat the words of the question in your answer, like if the question is "Do you like football?" The band 5-6 answer will be "yes, I like football." The band 7+ answered, "Yes absolutely, I am a big fan of football because..."
  4. Your accent doesn't matter at all if your speech is easily understood by the examiner. So try to speak at an average speed (not too fast and not too slow).
  5. Use contractions a little bit, like rather than saying "I am," you should say "I'm."
  6. Don't use formal words a lot, like "acknowledge." It's better to say "admit or confirm."

 

Tips Preparation:

  1. Try to practise a variety of topics beforehand.
  2. For speaking, find a foreign practice partner. Go to Lefts-Mentor.com or IELTSBUDDY.COM and write a comment there that you need a partner. Practise daily with your partner for at least 30 minutes.
  3. Download Makkars IELTS speaking ebook. Most of the time, the questions on the real test are from that book.
  4. Watch IELTSDaily and Keith English Academy videos on YouTube.
  5. Also, watch mock speaking tests on Youtube at least five times a day.

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